New 150-Km Expressway In Western UP To Cut Moradabad-Aligarh Travel Time To 90 Minutes

A new 150-km highway is set to significantly improve road connectivity between Moradabad and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, with authorities stepping up preparations for land acquisition in both districts. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accelerated the process to acquire around 190 hectares of land across 22 villages in Moradabad. The compensation will be paid directly into the bank accounts of farmers and other landowners whose properties are acquired for the project.

The existing two-lane high-speed corridor is being upgraded into a four-lane, access-controlled highway. In Aligarh, land will also be acquired across 45 villages in the Gabhana and Koil tehsils.

The proposed highway will run from Moradabad through Amroha, Sambhal and Bulandshahr before reaching Aligarh. In Moradabad, the administration has already restricted the sale and purchase of land as well as new registrations in areas likely to be affected by the acquisition.

Journey time to fall from 3-4 hours to around 90 minutes

The new highway is expected to make the journey between Moradabad and Aligarh considerably faster. At present, travelling the roughly 150-km route via Chandausi, Babrala and Dibai can take three to four hours, particularly because of congestion, narrow stretches and heavy traffic.

Once the four-lane access-controlled highway is operational, vehicles will be able to travel at speeds of up to 100 kmph, potentially bringing the journey time down to around 1.5 to 2 hours.

The highway will not have direct entry points from villages or local roads. Vehicles will be allowed to enter and exit only through designated interchanges. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers will also be prohibited from using the highway.

Direct link to Ganga Expressway

The Moradabad-Aligarh highway is also planned to connect directly with the Ganga Expressway through a Badaun link. The proposed connection could make it significantly easier for travellers from Moradabad and Aligarh to reach Prayagraj and other parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh using the Ganga Expressway.

To improve safety and prevent conflicts between heavy trucks, agricultural vehicles and local traffic, the project will include underpasses, elevated bypasses and pedestrian bridges at suitable locations. A major bridge on the Aligarh-Moradabad section is also part of the project, with a 12.5-crore construction tender issued in June 2026.

Link to Agra-Aligarh highway

The project will also strengthen connectivity towards Agra. Work on widening the first 28-km package between Agra and Aligarh under the Agra-Aligarh four-lane highway project began in March and is expected to be completed by 2028.
Once these projects are completed, travellers will have four-lane connectivity from Moradabad towards Aligarh and onwards to Agra, creating a broader road network across western Uttar Pradesh.

The upcoming highway is already influencing the areas around Harduaganj, Panethi and Gabhana, where demand for real estate and agricultural land, as well as warehouses and logistics facilities, is reportedly increasing as surveys and land-acquisition activities progress.